REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
To:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From:Jason Simpson, City Manager
Prepared by:Traci Williams, Fire Marshal
Date:August 26, 2025
Subject:First Reading of Local Responsibility Area Fire Map Ordinance Recommendation
Introduce by title only and waive further reading of AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY
ZONES AS RECOMMENDED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 51178.
Background
On March 24, the California OSFM issued the 2025 Recommended Local Responsibility Area (LRA) FHSZ maps for Riverside County.
The recent updates to Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) in California provide a more precise assessment of wildfire risks using modern climate data and advanced fire modeling. These updates impact Local Responsibility Area (LRA), influencing fire prevention measures. Including defensible space, building codes and real estate disclosures requirements.
Discussion
Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ) arose from major destructive fires across California, prompting the recognition of these areas and identify strategies to reduce wildfire risk. Government Code Sections 51178-51179 assigns responsibility to the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to classify lands statewide into FHSZ that are Moderate, High or Very High.
These classifications are determined using factors such as vegetation or fuel loading, terrain, fire weather conditions, historical fire activity, ember production and movement and wind patterns where wind has been identified as a major cause of wildfire spread. FHSZ are based on the likelihood of a fire occurring in these areas and its expected behavior over a 30 to 50 year period under existing conditions.
Local Responsibility Area Fire Map Ordinance
In response to the San Bernardino Panorama Fire in 1980, the State implemented California Public Resource Code 4201-4204 which mandated the creation of FHSZ for the State Responsibility Area (SRA). The SRA identifies the land areas in which the state is required to suppress and prevent all unwanted fire. The first SRA map was published in 1985. FHSZ classifications in the Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) were established with Assembly Bill (AB) 337 in 1992 after the Alameda County Tunnel Fire in 1991. The LRA map identifies land areas where the local government is responsible to mitigate and prevent wildfires. In 2011, CAL FIRE completed the Very High FHSZ withing the LRA map that encompassed 38 counties and nearly 200 cities. During this time, local governments were able to adopt the LRA maps as recommended or adjust the recommendation to be more or less restrictive.
In 2021, Senate Bill (SB) 63 expanded the scope of the FHSZ classification by mandating the identification of additional zones, including Moderate and High FHSZ, to the Very High FHSZ. In 2022, AB 211, as codified in Government Code section 51179, reinforced these mandates and required local agencies to formally designate, by ordinance, all three classifications within 120 days of receiving the recommendations from the OSFM. The bill also eliminated the local government’s ability to downgrade the hazard levels recommended by the OSFM.
Previously, the FHSZ maps were adopted as part of the Fire Code (City of Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Chapter ***). However, current legislation requires a separate ordinance to adopt the updated LRA maps. Government Code Section 51178 requires local agencies to engage in a transparent and participatory process to ensure that affected communities have access to updated wildfire hazard information.
Furthermore, local agencies are now required to:
1. Within 30 days of the release of the LRA map, make the information available for public review and comment. The updated LRA map for the City of Lake Elsinore was released on March 24, 2025 and can be viewed on the City’s website: https://www.lake- elsinore.org/DocumentCenter/View/4590/FHSZ_City_LRA_11x17_LakeElsinore?bidId= as well as the OSFM website: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/community-wildfire- preparedness-and-mitigation/fire-hazard-severity-zone.
2. AB 211 requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, Moderate and High FHSZ within 120 days of the release of the LRA map and adopt the recommended map.
3. Within 30 days of local ordinance adoption, the City of Lake Elsinore is required to submit a copy of the ordinance to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It is important to note that while the public review and comment period is required by the State, the City of Lake Elsinore has no authority to modify the designations established by the OSFM.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
Local Responsibility Area Fire Map Ordinance
Attachments
Attachment 1- Ordinance
Exhibit A - LRA Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map
Attachment 2 - CFC Sec 4911 Model Ordinance for FHSZ adoption Fire